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Grant Fuhr
| birth_place = Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada | draft = 8th overall | draft_year = 1981 | draft_team = Edmonton Oilers | career_start = 1981 | career_end = 2000 | halloffame = 2003 }} Grant Fuhr (born Grant Scott Fuhr on September 28, 1962) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender in the National Hockey League (NHL) and former goaltending coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Grant is best remembered for a decade of stellar play for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. He won a total of five Stanley Cups and was a seven time All-Star. Playing Career In 1979 (when he was 17 years old), Grant joined the Victoria Cougars of the WHL. After two stellar seasons in Victoria, which included the league championship and a trip to the Memorial Cup in 1981, he was drafted eighth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Grant played ten seasons for the Oilers where he teamed up first with Andy Moog & then Bill Ranford to form one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in history, winning the Stanley Cup four times in five seasons (1983-84 through 1987-88). He was also involved with the infamous goal where Steve Smith scored on his own net to cost the Oilers the '86 playoffs against the Calgary Flames. Grant was the team's starting goaltender on the first four teams, but he was injured and did not play in the 1990 playoffs when the Oilers won for the fifth time. He played in the National Hockey League All-Star Game in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 & 1989. In 1987, Grant played in goal for the NHL All-Stars in both games of the Rendez-Vous '87 series against the Soviet National Team. In 1987-88, he backstopped Canada to a victory at the Canada Cup, playing in all nine games, then played in 75 regular season and 19 playoff games. Grant won his only Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender that year and finished second in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP, behind Mario Lemieux and ahead of teammate Wayne Gretzky. Grant's playoff success fed into his reputation as the supreme "money" goalie (or "clutch" goaltender) of his era, the person you would want in net with the season on the line and there was a period of time from 1987 through at least 1989 where he was often called "the best goaltender in the world". Grant battled shoulder injuries and substance abuse problems at the tail end of his career with Edmonton and he was suspended by the NHL for 59 games of the 1990–91 season. Post-Playing Career In 1990, Grant came forward about his drug use after spending two weeks in a counseling center in Florida. He admitted that he used "a substance" (he did not say cocaine) for some seven years or most of the period that the Oilers rested at the top of the NHL. The details of his drug use were supplied by the player's ex-wife. The embarrassing details no doubt contributed to the one-year suspension handed down in September 1990 by NHL president John Ziegler, who called his conduct "dishonorable and against the welfare of the league." Once Grant was re-instated, fans of opposing teams taunted him at games with bags of sugar. In May of 1993 (while still a member of the Buffalo Sabres), Grant was denied membership in the neighbouring Transit Valley Country Club. At the time, rumours floated that the denial was based on race as several of Grant's white teammates had been granted membership. Club officials denied they rejected him based on his race; rather, his application contained "incorrect and incomplete" information. Various acts of vandalism at the club occurred after news of Grant's rejection surfaced, including an incident where vandals burned a swastika onto one of the greens. In light of the negative publicity, the club reversed its position and offered Grant not only a membership, but an apology as well. He rejected the membership and joined nearby Lancaster Country Club. The club also temporarily suspended its membership committee and had an anti-bias policy written into its by-laws. On July 22, 2004, Grant was hired to be the Phoenix Coyotes goaltending coach. He held the position until the end of the 2008-09 season when he was replaced by Sean Burke. He held a similar post with the Calgary Flames in the 2000–2001 and the 2001–2002 seasons. Hall of Fame Induction On November 2, 2003, Grant was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also inducted in the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Career Statistics Regular season Playoffs International International Play }} Grant was named to the 1984 Canada Cup team, but he saw limited action during the tournament. He was again selected to represent Canada for the 1987 Canada Cup. It was here that he cemented his reputation as one of the best goaltenders in the game. Playing against a tough Soviet Union squad, Grant turned away shot after shot during the three-game final. He also played for Canada at the 1989 World Championships where he won a silver medal. Accolades NHL Awards International Awards *In 1998, he was ranked number 70 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. *His #31 was retired by the Edmonton Oilers on October 9, 2003. *Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003. *Was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Records *Holds NHL record for longest undefeated streak by a goaltender in his first NHL season: 23 in 1981–82. *Holds NHL record for most assists in a single season by a goaltender: 14 in 1983–84. *Shares NHL record for most wins in a single season postseason: 16 in 1988. *Holds NHL record for most games played by a goaltender in a single season: 79 in 1995 96. *Holds NHL record for most consecutive appearances in a single season by a goaltender: 76 in 1996. Personal Life Grant was born to one black parent and one white parent, but he was adopted by parents Betty Wheeler & Robert Fuhr and raised in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. He has four children from his previous marriages: Janine Fuhr, Rochelle King, RJ Fuhr, Kendyl Fuhr & step-daughter Rochelle Oyas-Corral. On September 14, 2014, he married to Lisa Cavanaugh from Palm Desert, California in the Grand Cayman Islands. Also, Grant was a regular competitor at the American Century Championship which is the annual competition to determine the best golfers among American sports and entertainment celebrities. Category:1962 births Category:Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Category:Edmonton Oilers draft picks Category:Edmonton Oilers players Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players Category:Buffalo Sabres players Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:St. Louis Blues players Category:Calgary Flames players Category:Stanley Cup champions